So it’s nearly gym opening day here in Wales! I know we have all been waiting for this day and are all looking forward to hitting the gym again. So it is important to make sure that we don’t go in smashing super heavy or crazy intensity workouts and end up injuring ourselves!
This blog is a bit of a cautionary tale, a warning before we get back to the gym.
For a lot of us (me included) training has been sporadic at best during lockdown. It has also been completely different! I, for example haven’t had access to (or honestly the space for) anything heavier than a 10kg dumbbell at home, so if I waltz in the gym and try to hit the numbers I was hitting pre-lockdown the chances are I would injure myself.
The main thing I want people to take from this is TAKE IT EASY! Check your ego and drop the weight.
Even the best lifters in the world will strip back to an empty bar when it is required. So when you see the ego lifters in the gym (and there will be plenty!) load up the bar with every plate possible and use terrible form to pull out barely a half rep before slamming the weights back down and proclaiming to be the best in the gym – do yourself a favour and IGNORE THEM! The only thing you should focus on is YOU. YOUR goals, YOUR progress!
Please don’t compare yourself to anyone else in the gym. Trust me, I understand it can be hard when you see people lifting heavier, losing weight or building muscle faster than you, but it’s important to remember they may have different goals, they may have been training a lot longer, they may have started at a different point to you. The only competition you have is yourself!
Make sure you warm up and cool down properly! Its an area a lot of people neglect but we must make sure we prepare ourselves and our muscles for training! As we haven’t had access to it in so long the temptation is there to train every hour and every day – to train every thing all in one session! Don’t! It is important to listen to your trainer/coach, and if you don’t have one – train smart! Rest and recovery are just as vital to your progression and success as your workouts!
So, on the 3rd May when those gyms finally open again – take some time. Lower the weights. Get used to being under the bar again! And importantly ENJOY YOURSELF! Make it fun, if it feels like a chore you won’t keep it up – have fun, be safe and you’ll be hitting your goals in no time!
We Are Strong.
#iamfletcherfitness
(Originally posted on 29/04/2021 on old website)